Bloomberg cancels Sunday's NYC Marathon

With the fallen crane at the One 57 building in the background, workers construct the Finish Line on November 2, 2012 as preparations continue for the 43rd New York City Marathon. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

NEW YORK -- Sunday's New York City Marathon, a source of major controversy with the city continuing to recover from Superstorm Sandy, has been cancelled.

In a statement released by Mayor Bloomberg and the New York Road Runners on Friday afternoon, the mayor said that although holding the race would not "require diverting resources from the recovery effort, it is clear that it has become the source of controversy and division."

The mayor cited the "controversy" as well as other reasons as grounds to cancel annual event.

Also, in the statement, Bloomberg boasts that the annulled event has been an event that has "brought the city together and inspired the city" for 40 years.

Bloomberg said in the statement, "we would not want a cloud to hang over the race or its participants, and so we have decided to cancel it. We cannot allow a controversy over an athletic event - even one as meaningful as this - to distract attention away from all the critically important work that is being done to recover from the storm and get our city back on track."

The New York Road Runners club will provide additional information for participants during the next couple of days.